100% hike in border area development fund, Rajnath assures CM

Rawat told Singh that hike in fund from present ₹25 crore to ₹50 crore would lead to better development of areas and villages near the international border

dehradunUpdated: Oct 01, 2017 20:27 IST

Prithviraj SIngh Hindustan Times

Union home minister Rajnath Singh with chief mininster Trivendra Singh Rawat and Indian army officials at Joshimath on Saturday.(HT Photo)

Union home minister Rajnath Singh has assured Uttarakhand to double fund for the border area development project to boost security along boundary the state shares with China and Nepal.

Singh, who visited the hill state on September 29 and 30, gave the assurance at meeting with chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.

Rawat told Singh that hike in fund from present ₹25 crore to ₹50 crore would lead to better development of areas and villages near the international border.

He also thanked the union minister, saying the increase the BADP fund will help the state to prevent mass migration from hill areas.

Besides, Rawat urged Singh to release the ₹5.5 crore police modernization fund proposed by the state and already ratified by the high power committee of the central government.

Rawat also urged the union home minister to waive off nearly ₹130 crore that state has to pay in lieu of internal security of provided by the central reserve forces.

“Being a small hill state Uttarakhand has limited sources of earning and deserves the union government’s support for its development. The Centre must waive off the money that the state has to pay to the central reserve forces for maintaining internal security,” said Rawat.

Apart from this, the chief minister raised issues of clearing the proposal for recruitment of over 200 security personnel for GRPs which is under consideration of his ministry and disbursal of the centre’s share of ₹19.45 crore for rehabilitation of railway security personnel taken from the state police.

In his reply, the union minister said he would take necessary action as soon as possible.